IUPAT Social Media Policy
The IUPAT strongly supports the use of social media sites to discuss and advocate for the important issues facing members and working families today. While these sites offer many advantages, they can also cause serious legal problems if they are not properly used and can lead to complicated legal proceedings as well as potential disciplinary action against employee users. We have developed these Guidelines for IUPAT members to consult when using social media to help avoid legal or other problems.
While we encourage civil comment and debate, externally posted comments and images do not necessarily represent the views of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. Links and comments on this site do not constitute official endorsement on behalf of the IUPAT. We do not and will not block, throttle, or discriminate against lawful content. However, as a page that is reflective of the IUPAT and a promotion of our organization, we will not tolerate comments that undermine the principles and rules of our constitution or undermine the values of the IUPAT as a non-discriminatory institution. We will continue to make sure that our policies are clear and transparent for all members, and we will not change our commitment to these principles. As the administrator of this page, we alone reserve the right to moderate comments and remove any that are considered to be inappropriate. If an individual is found to, consistently and repeatedly post comments, links or photos of an offensive nature or fail to respect the rules laid out in the Constitution of the IUPAT, we reserve the right to immediately block or to remove the user as applicable.
Employers frequently monitor social media sites and use information they find there against the employees who have posted it. This can lead to disciplinary action or discharge. You have a legal right to express your opinion about various activities that affect your workplace, including the rights protected by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, to engage in concerted activity with fellow workers regarding your wages and working conditions, but you must do so in a manner that does not cause harm to others or give your employer a basis to claim that you have been “disloyal.”
Once you have posted or submitted information on a social network site, it is virtually impossible to retract or control it. Never assume that your site is private or that what has been posted will not be disclosed to the company or other employees, including supervisors.
Many individual Facebook pages or personal social media sites contain information identifying you as employed by a particular organization or as a member of an IUPAT Local or District Council. When you are expressing your personal opinions, you should make it clear that these opinions are yours alone and are not intended to be understood as anything else.